Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an infectious disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It was first recognized in the United States in 1981. AIDS is the advanced form of infection with the HIV virus, which may not cause recognizable disease for a long period after the initial exposure (latency). No vaccine is currently available to prevent HIV infection.
Drinking cup of beetroot juice daily may help lower blood pressure – A cup of beetroot juice a day may help reduce your blood pressure, revealed researchers. People with high blood pressure who drank about 8 ounces of beetroot juice experienced a decrease in blood pressure of about 10 mm Hg. But the preliminary findings don’t yet suggest that supplementing your diet with beetroot juice benefits your health.
Nanoparticles loaded with bee venom kill HIV
– Nanoparticles carrying a toxin found in bee venom can destroy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) while leaving surrounding cells unharmed, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown. The finding is an important step toward developing a vaginal gel that may prevent the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Innovative policy to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV shows positive impact — New approach in Malawi dramatically increases the number of mothers on treatment – The number of pregnant and breastfeeding women in Malawi with HIV who started life-saving antiretroviral treatment increased by more than 700 percent in one year. The new treatment option, called Option B+, offers all pregnant or breastfeeding women infected with HIV lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART), regardless of the stage of their HIV infection.
US FDA alerts health care providers of recall of anemia drug Omontys – In US, Omontys Injection is recalled due to reports of anaphylaxis, a serious and life-threatening allergic reaction. Omontys is used to treat anemia in adult dialysis patients. Until further notice, health care providers should stop using Omontys.
FDA approves first anti-diarrheal drug for HIV/AIDS patients — Fulyzaq is the second botanical drug approved by the agency – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Fulyzaq (crofelemer) to relieve symptoms of diarrhea in HIV/AIDS patients taking antiretroviral therapy, a combination of medicines used to treat HIV infection.
Majority of the world living longer, but spending more years in poor health compared to 20 years ago – Comparing healthy life expectancy for 187 countries, in 1990 and 2010, the researchers were able to evaluate major patterns and trends in global health over two decades. They found that life expectancy has increased in 19 of 21 regions around the world, but, although people are living longer, they are spending these later years living with poor health.
Sustained action needed for ?Getting to Zero? — Zero New Infections, Zero AIDS-related deaths & Zero discrimination – India is on track to achieve the global targets of ?Zero New Infections, Zero AIDS-related deaths & Zero discrimination?. However, sustaining prevention focus and intensity in the areas where significant declines have been achieved, is highly critical to consolidate the gains, while effectively addressing the emerging epidemics.
More than half of young HIV-infected Americans are not aware of their status — Too many young people continue to become infected and few are tested for HIV – Young Americans between the ages of 13 and 24 represent more than a quarter of new HIV infections each year (26 percent) and most of these youth living with HIV (60 percent) are unaware they are infected. The most-affected young people are young gay and bisexual men and African-Americans.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may benefit HIV infected women – Women with HIV may benefit from a vaccine for human papillomavirus (HPV), despite having already been exposed to HPV, a study finds. Although many may have been exposed to less serious forms of HPV, more than 45 percent of sexually active young women who have acquired HIV appear never to have been exposed to the most common high-risk forms of HPV.
Scientists to study the role genes play in treating TB – The University of Liverpool has been awarded funding to determine whether differences in our genes determine how patients respond to drugs used to treat Tuberculosis (TB) in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Aspirin may decrease risk of aggressive form of ovarian cancer – New research shows that women who regularly use pain relief medications, particularly aspirin, have a decreased risk of serous ovarian cancer?an aggressive carcinoma affecting the surface of the ovary, published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.
Design help for drug cocktails – Harvard researchers create a mathematical model that helps to design efficient multi-drug therapies – Pooling data from thousands of tests of the antiviral activity of more than 20 commonly used anti-HIV drugs, AIDS experts at Johns Hopkins and Harvard universities have developed what they say is the first accurate computer simulation to explain drug effects.
